Façade
by TrixieKrueger
Summary: When a father reveals the true reasons for his past decisions to his son, the picture of the son's childhood is shattered but yet all the pieces somehow start falling into place. Family centric. Peddie is touched on throughout.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **Set at the beginning of the summer following S2.  
**Location:** England.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

"Oh! Have a seat, Edison. I was just about to phone you. I think it is high time that you and I had a good…chat about a few things."

Eddie secured the door of his father's house and continued into the den that was tucked just off to the side from the entry way. His attitude seemed positive but there was an undertone of seriousness in his voice that the blond couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Okay…sure Dad, what's up?" He shrugged out of his leather jacket and took the remaining chair in the room. "You know, I'm _hoping_ it's finally the right time to talk about Osirian stuff because if I'm like some kind of superhero or something I need to start picking out a disguise and a sidekick and—"

"You are _not_ a superhero, Edison," Eric interrupted with an unamused look at him over the top of his glasses.

Eddie gave his relatively-new-to-him father a sideways glance, studying his aged and unwavering face. His code was a little bit harder to crack than his mother's had always been, "_Are you sure_…because I saw some pretty weird stuff happen a few weeks ago that seemed suspiciously like super powers. And I mean, I could have my own meritocracy and not even know it!"

The elder of the gentlemen wrinkled his face as he cocked his head to the side. He paused for a brief moment to make certain that he had heard his son correctly, "Your own _what_?"

Eddie blinked a few times glancing over his shoulder although it was only the two of them just to double check that no one else had heard what he could suffice from that reaction, was a total flub. "Nothing…" he mumbled. "But you're _sure_ I'm not—"

"Of _course_ I am certain. Now, may we please get back to the subject matter at hand?"

Something about the way his father kept avoiding this subject just didn't sit well with him either, but pressing the issue usually had resulted in him closing off even more.

"Sure. And that would be…"

Eric's face brightened and the corners of his eyes crinkled pleasantly.

"Us!"

"…Us?"

"Of course, don't you find it rather enjoyable to _finally_ be getting some time to spend together without the demands of the classroom hindering either one of us?"

It was a valid point and yet something Eddie hadn't actually taken the time to consider yet. The father-son thing had come so easily to them once they had smoothed out the misunderstandings of one another that had been building over time. Spending quality time together at this point seemed like an old routine.

Eddie gave an easy smile, "Yeah, I guess it is pretty cool…getting to know your hobbies and stuff. Who knew fishing with your hands would actually be somewhat addictive?" He frowned, "…Or mildly frustrating."

"Ah, not to worry, Son. I'm certain you will get the hang of it. You may even catch your own fish next time."

Son. There was a word he never got tired of hearing from him. His smile curled back onto his face on it's own accord.

"Yeah. You know, it is kinda funny though…because Patricia tried to get me to go noodling once too. I didn't realize it was such a big deal over here."

Mr. Sweet swallowed hard. It wasn't. He'd spent enough time with teens over the years to know that just about anything could be turned into innuendo.

"Ah, I see. Well...everything is going well with Miss Williamson then, I trust?"

Eric gave him a knowing and very parental look of concern to which Eddie quickly grinned and made effort to ease his mind.

"Yeah, Yacker and I are doing great. Taking things really slowly." He thought he heard his father audibly exhale after he dropped his gaze to his fiddling fingers, but he couldn't be for sure. A nervous laugh tumbled out of his mouth as his mind raced between what he wanted to say next and the nagging voice in his head second guessing if they were really to the point that personal thoughts and feelings could be shared. Did he even trust his dad's advice? That was another problem; he didn't know the answer to that either.

A few moments later and it made no difference, he was about to explode and he needed to ask someone, anyone. "But that's fine with me, I just… I _don't_ want to mess this up with Patricia. She's different…you know? I've had crushes on other girls before, yeah but…there's just something about her that I can't quite shake. A-and I'm not sure that I want to…"

Eddie meeting his father's eyes with such sincerity set of a chain reaction in the older man. His palms began to sweat and he sat up straighter in his chair. Out of shear nervous habit he removed his reading glasses and wiped their lenses clean although they housed no smudges. He just may have been more uncomfortable in that moment than Eddie was.

Eric was staring at the reflection of himself from more than twenty years in the past. It was his worst nightmare come true and this talk he was trying to have with him had just taken a turn for the even more difficult and complicated.

"Dad, I just… What if I _love_ her?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Uh oh, this is my first attempt at two multi-chapters at once with Chlorine & Cologne still going. Hopefully this doesn't end disastrously... As far as I know, I was the first or one of the first to suggest the idea of where this story will be heading. And then the show just made it even more canon so... Hopefully you'll enjoy this as it progresses. Sibuna.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **Set at the beginning of the summer following S2.  
**Location:** England.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

"Dad, I just… What if I _love_ her?"

Eric cleared his throat as he shifted in his seat for the second time; his favorite chair had never felt more uncomfortable in its lifetime. He bought himself a precious few extra seconds before he had to respond by returning and adjusting his glasses to his face with an unsteady hand, "Lo—," another throat clear before he tried again, "love is an awfully strong word, Edison…wouldn't you say?"

Eddie ran a hand back through his messy blond hair fanning it's spikes back into their proper places as it went along. Eric often wondered if he wore it like that just to spite him. "No, _I know_, Dad. I know! I'm not saying I'm _in love_ with her but it's just…what if I _am_?!"

Eric reigned in the panic he felt just as he had learned to do over the last few years when he had needed to cover his tracks.

"And if you _are_?" he tried to get a better feel for where his son was trying to take this, "You _like_ Miss Williamson, don't you?"

Eddie let out a huff, "Yes, I _do_! But… You loved Mom once too didn't you? See where I'm going with this?" he threw his arms out briefly before dropping them onto his chair's arms.

Eric cringed at his words. They were in the past tense to his son but not to him. He would never not love Eddie's mother.

Perhaps this conversation wasn't too far off base after all.

"Your mother and I, well…" he began as he fished out his old standby handkerchief once more to wipe his brow, "Our relationship had some…extenuating circumstances, as to why it failed. The important thing to remember is that Patricia is not your mother, although she does remind me a great deal of her what with all the chattering and all." He grinned briefly before continuing, "But even more important for you to note," he took a deep breath wanting to have faith in the rest of his sentence, "you are _not_ your father, and you will _not_ make the same mistakes I have made."

There was a beat of silence as Eric stared off into the distance passed Eddie.

"Mistakes? Circumstances?" Eddie smirked. "Come on Dad, you gotta stop beating yourself up about it. Mom told me it was a mutual breakup. Different priorities and all that stuff… I'm just afraid that will happen to us too…"

Eric met Eddie's eyes and the boy's smile faded from his face. He tried to blink away his father's look of guilt but it hadn't lost its intensity between any of the flashes of darkness.

"I mean… _Right_? That has to be it. Mom wouldn't lie to me…"

"Actually, I had asked your mother to let me explain myself to you when you were old enough to— Edison, where are you going?!"

His son had jumped out of his chair, wrestling his jacket back on and extracting his phone from his tight pocket.

"I'm going to go call Mom, see what _she_ has to say about all of this."

* * *

Eric folded his newspaper down at the slam of his door. It came as no surprise to him that the phone call had lasted as long as it had. He watched as his son came scowling back into the room. The boy slouched back down into the chair opposite to him. This time, he hadn't bothered to remove the leather jacket that Eric despised so much. There were so many things he wanted to correct him on from his manners to his posture but this conversation was bound to turn more volatile as it was.

Eddie still had not so much as even looked at his father. His focus instead, was on his fingers rapping against the arm of his chair. Eric was the first to intrude on the silence.

"I assume that you were able to get a hold of your mother?…"

"Yeah."

It worried him that he was already so angry, _surely_ she hadn't told him, "_And_…"

Eddie glared up at him through his lashes, "She said I should hear you out… I can't _believe_ you asked her to lie to me all these years and that she just went along with it I—"

"Edison, please—"

"It's _Eddie_, alright!" he snapped.

"_Eddie_. Try not to hold it against your mother. We both felt it best if I were the one to explain everything to you. I have hurt her in so many ways, it would not have been fair of me to ask her to be the one to do this…"

"Fine. Can we just get to the end here please?"

"Very well then. I cheated…on your mother."

Eddie shook his head at how effortlessly he was able to say that, standing to walk out once more.

"Edi— _Eddie_, sit down. That is not all."

The boy turned back around, a bit of hurt cracking passed the anger on his face. He refused to follow orders, opting instead to stand in the entryway with his arms crossed across his chest, "I can listen fine like this."

"As you wish," he cleared his throat standing to meet him eye to eye across the room. "Edison, you have a brother."

* * *

**A/N:** _Sorry these are short chapters, I'm trying not to drop too many bombs at once. So much angst. Reviews are appreciated, Sibuna.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **Set at the beginning of the summer following S2.  
**Location:** England.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

"Edison, you have a brother."

The whole world stopped.

Life as he knew it had completely shattered.

It was as though Eddie was afraid to even breathe for fear that it would remind him that everything was actually happening in front of him; that it wasn't just another cruel nightmare that was taunting him as he slept. His vision began to blur over and his jaw quivered in pure rage.

To tell the truth, he wasn't sure if the hot tears were brimming from the pain or the anger. But once they began to slide down his face making them visible to his father, their origin really made no difference to him at all. He had let the last man he would have preferred to, see him at his weakest yet again.

"_Eddie_…" he took a step towards him, sympathy that had come—in Eddie's opinion—years too late was etched onto his face.

The boy threw his hands out in front of him taking a step backwards to reestablish the space between them, "N-no stop! Stay _away_ from me, Eric!" he nearly screamed as his father ducked his gaze at the use of his first name. He had thought they were long passed that by now. "It wasn't enough for y-you that I couldn't have _my dad_ growing up but you had to keep _my brother_ from me too?! _Really_?"

"That is not exactly—" he tried, although it was too meek to keep from being interrupted.

Eddie's voice cracked through his tears, "Do you care about anyone but yourself, huh? Because it's really not sounding like it, _Dad_."

Eric's lips scrunched at the bitter and mocking way his title had been delivered. He could do nothing except ring his hands and try to ride out the storm.

* * *

_**Location: Near the New Jersey/New York state line, 2003.**_

Seven year old Eddie Miller rode his bike up and down the driveway to his new neighbor's house, occasionally circling around the moving truck parked on the curb. His mother was helping another lady remove boxes from it to carry inside, he was merely there to be supervised. The last time he had seen so many of them stacked in one place, his dad had packed up and left. That had been almost two years prior.

He didn't have many memories of his father. The arguing with his mother near the end was the one thing that stood out the most in his mind. In the time since he had been away, his mother had occasionally spoken to Eric, as she referred to him, on the phone and a hello would be passed to him as he continued playing with his cars but he never got to speak with him. And Eddie was content with that.

Afterall, he wasn't going to be away forever…his mom had promised him that much.

The day he met his new neighbor, Eddie was riding over leaves and sticks and trying to slide though patches of dirt like any other boy would. He paid no notice to the women trying to dodge him without dropping their armfuls of household items. Their work had only caught his attention when the other lady pulled a bike almost identical to his off the truck.

"Mom, who's is that?" His big brown eyes sparkled up at Miss Miller and it was bittersweet to her that he was excited at the possibility of getting a new friend on their block.

She hesitated to crack a smile, "Well, Eddie it's—"

"Awesome! My bike!" A young boy who looked to be about Eddie's age came running out of the house swooping it from his mother's hands, hopping onto it in one swift motion and pedaling passed them all.

Eddie didn't stick around for his mother's answer. He instead, backed his bike just enough to zoom passed her to catch up with the mysterious boy himself.

"Hey kid, wait up!"

The other boy's tires skidded as he came to an abrupt stop in the distance ahead of Eddie. The blond was able to close the gap almost immediately with his furious pedaling.

"Cool bike mate, it's just like mine!" the new boy grinned although a few teeth were missing from his smile.

"Thanks! My dad got it for me!" Eddie beamed before scrunching up his face, "You talk funny…"

"So do you," he stuck his tongue out at him, "and your hair is rather silly."

"Well, _I_ think it's cool!" he grinned, referring to the faux hawk he frequently asked his mother to create for him.

The conversation dwindled as fast as it had began. The boys kicked rocks between the two of them enjoying the skipping and scraping noises the stones were making against the pavement. It had become quite the unannounced contest of who could keep the area under their bike the most free from rocks.

"Benjamin!"

"Edison!"

"Down here, Mom!" they shouted as unified as their individual accents would allow for. The boys hadn't noticed that their mothers had interrupted and then went right back to their mild bickering after checking on them.

"So that's your mom, with my mom?"

"My mum, yeah. I'm called Benjamin. Benji mostly."

"'My name's Eddie. _Just_ Eddie." He pulled away on his bike turning slower circles in the road outside their houses. They didn't live on a particularly busy street and his mother usually let him do it under her supervision. Benji wasn't far behind and he continued to be met with curiosity. "I'm seven, how old are you?"

"Six and a half. It's almost my birthday!"

"Are your mom and dad gonna throw you a giant party so you can get lots of cool presents?"

Miss Miller and Miss Reed began to hear their sons' topic of choice as their voices grew louder to accommodate for the number of leaves crunching under their tires and the growing distance between them on opposite sides of their circle.

"Boys, back up this way," Eddie's mom called, trying to keep their discussion about family matters to a minimum.

The boys, with matching mischievous grins on their faces, ignored orders by turning a few more ornery circles on their bikes before Benji's mom cut in, "Now, please!"

"Okayyy!" they shouted back.

"Race you back to my house?" Benji challenged as he waited for Eddie to pull up by his side.

"You're on! Ready, set…"

"Go!" Benji finished for his new American friend as they each stomped their pedals and pumped their legs as fast as they could. Benji's mother was closing up the truck as they pulled up into his driveway. Eddie came in a very respectable and close second place finish to Benji's impressive speed.

"Wow! You're fast!" he marveled, not minding that he had lost to such a worthy opponent.

* * *

Eddie noticed his father trying to hold back tears across the room.

"Wow, now you're _crying_ too? _Oh please_, Eric! What do _you_ have to be upset about?!" Eddie's voice didn't even sound like his own to him through the screams. He coughed as the sobs wrecked through him, gasping for breath and swallowing hard although his voice still carried an occasional squeak when he was able to speak again, "_I'm_ the one you left in America so you could come back here to your more important son! All the lying and excuses and talking in code. I guess I finally got my answers, didn't I! I bet you _never_ planned to come back for me! Did you two have a _splendid_ happy family here while I was _miserable_ half my life?"

He threw a punch against the hard oak that bordered the entryway of his father's den and released a growl. It felt good to get it all off his chest. From the moment he was old enough to realize what had actually happened between his parents he had never felt like his dad had ever wanted him, not even after their conversations on the contrary during the last term.

Eddie ran his palms harshly across his eyes trying to settle himself down.

Eric allowed him the chance to gather his feelings before he spoke up, "I sent your brother to America after the tests were confirmed, Edison. F-for Osirian reasons, just as I did you. After he and his mother left I never saw him or spoke with him again. I arranged it so that you could at least grow up together. You actually know him better than I do…"

Eric gave a knowing smile as the realization crept onto Eddie's face. He nodded the answer to the silent question that lingered between them. The older of the duo breathed a sigh of relief as a small smile curled onto Eddie's face.

But just as quickly as it had formed, the smile dropped into a scowl, it was Eric's own fault that he couldn't tell a sarcastic smile from his real one. He scoffed before retreating up to his room, "I'm done with this, I'm done with _you_. And I am _so_ done with the lies, I'm not an idiot. Ben has always spent every other summer here in the UK."

* * *

**A/N:** _Yup, some of you guessed it, it was Ben. But that wasn't really a secret because I've been saying it all over the internet so…haha I don't know, I tried to pretend you didn't know who I was talking about.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **Set at the beginning of the summer following S2.  
**Location:** England.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

The black and blue was beginning to surface even through the whites of Eddie's knuckles, his hands gripped onto either side of the sink basin like a vice. The shower hadn't washed away how marred his surroundings still felt to him. The heaviness of the situation becoming especially obvious as soon as he'd stepped from the soothing spray back into his cold hard reality.

This wasn't his house…it never had been. And now, it could never be anything more to him than just one more thing Benji had managed to beat him to.

An angry handful of cold water splashed across his face and dripped down his solemn features with no remorse. He hadn't yet removed the steam from the mirror to get a good look at his puffy, bloodshot eyes. The physical reminder of how childish he felt was not welcomed; locking himself up in the bathroom at seventeen years old to hide away from his father had been reminder enough.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Edison?"

The boy groaned at his father's voice, he wasn't ready to cross paths with Eric just yet.

"Edison, are you alright? You have been in there for quite some time now…"

"I'm _fine_," he took a frustrated swipe at the mirror revealing to himself just how _not fine_ he actually was. The silence that ensued was deafening and he would have given anything in that moment to hear his dad—_HIS_ dad—start droning on about any number of boring topics if it meant that things were back to normal between them… Or at least, back to _Eddie's_ version of normal. Because minus the teenage angst in his home, _apparently_ having two sons had always been normal for dear old dad and _yes_ Eddie was bitter about it. So bitter.

"…Very well. Supper shall be ready soon. I hope to see you there, Son."

Eddie scoffed at his own reflection—the only other person who really seemed to understand him. How could his dad just toss around that term to him as if nothing was out of the ordinary? Not even _Yacker_ had it this bad at home.

He supposed he should probably give her a call now, fill her in on Eric Sweet's latest attempt at a father of the year campaign. She would probably break the tension with a demeaning joke about good ol' Sweetie or she would try to help him understand his personality and motives. Either way, getting to hear her voice didn't seem like a bad idea right about now.

He could already picture her nose wrinkling up in mock annoyance at him and the way her lips would flair differently when she sneered her words into the phone at him. On second thought, a video chat sounded like a better idea.

Eddie scooped out a palm of hair gel and ran it through his locks with less precision than he would normally use.

He was going to need the ability to gauge Patricia's reactions anyway as he now had a huge decision to make…and consequently, so did she.

He had been all set to spend the summer here in England…with his dad…with his Yacker. Now, that plan seemed all but impossible, especially with it also being Ben's summer to fly over.

Eddie sighed. Time really must change everything…there had been plenty of summers where he had _begged_ his mother to take the trip with the Reed's. Throughout his younger years, he would even cry himself to sleep when she wouldn't even agree to go so that he could visit his dad.

His chance had finally come to be in England with both of them and now he couldn't get out of the country fast enough.

It was then that he imagined what it might be like to share a home with his half-brother. He could just picture Ben behind him, throwing a victorious smirk at him in the mirror as he shaved. His dad…_their_ dad—merely thinking the words burned his tongue—had probably taught him the proper technique in the very spot he stood in.

Eddie shook his head, he couldn't afford to let his thoughts go down that path. He had learned _plenty_ of things without Eric Sweet's help.

* * *

A few clicks at his laptop and Eddie was off to grab a t-shirt to pull on. He fumbled blindly into his desk chair only to be met with Patricia staring back at him as he pulled the fabric down from his eyes.

"What kind of call do you think is this anyway, Krueger?" Her eyebrow was raised and he chuckled.

"You _wish_ it was that type of call, Yacker… I just got out of the shower."

Her face instantly fell into that of concern, "You sound awful, are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine… Just a cold or something," he lied. Maybe she didn't need all the messy details. "What are you up to?"

"Ugh! Wait just there," Patricia disappeared off screen and Eddie rubbed at his head to try to sooth the headache that was beginning to form. _Stress_. "Piper has been practicing her piano _all_—whoa! That is some _epic_ bruising, did you get into a fight or something?"

Patricia's tone was almost proud and a smile tugged at the corner of Eddie's lips even as he snatched the punching hand he had _intended_ on keeping hidden from her, out of frame.

"Nah, not really…"

"Oh, come on! What does _that_ mean, Eddie? You lost, didn't you? Admit it!"

He laughed, the glitter in her eyes…the way her whole face brightened when she smiled. This was definitely a far better choice than calling her over the phone. Much better for his mood.

"Yeah…something like that."

"We Brits are a little bit harder to handle than those silly Americans you're used to fighting, huh? Got in over your head, did you?"

"_Oh, yeah_…Alfie, Jerome, and Fabian…they've _all_ had me shaking in my American boots these past few months." She rolled her eyes at his eye roll. "_Anyway_, speaking of America…"

Eddie's expression turned serious and Patricia gasped before he could elaborate, "_No_! Your dad chucked you out of the country for fighting, didn't he?! Arg! How could you, Slimeball! I mean, _really_—"

"Yacker—"

"Just when I was getting used to your _stupid_ face! I—"

"Yac-_ker_! I'm not getting sent back to America!"

She leaned back on her bed from where she had crowded up to the screen to properly get in his face.

"Oh. Well, go on then."

"Okay, I'll just use my _stupid mouth_ to— Ah, ah, ah, Yacker," he held his good hand up to stop her from giving him part two. A mischievous grin curled onto his face, Eddie just loved to see her get all riled up. "_Relax_, I know what you meant. Listen… I know we had plans to hang out this summer and everything, _but_ I'm _kinda_ getting homesick. And I've been thinking I should _maybe_ head back to the States for a bit…"

Patricia tried to contort her disappointment back into a smirk, "Oh. So you're just gonna bail on me by choice then? _Loser_."

"No, of course not! That's sorta why I'm calling… Do you, I mean, _would you_ maybe…wanna come with me, Patricia?"

"To America?"

* * *

**A/N:** _Oh hi, I'm back. I know we're getting into heavily written territory here, but I promise the focus of this story is going to stay more towards Eddie's family life than it is Peddie's summer/break up/reasoning and what not. Patricia is going to play a role, but it won't be the main plot point. Sibuna._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: **Set at the beginning of the summer following S2.  
**Location:** England.**  
Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

"Do you, I mean, _would you_ maybe…wanna come with me, Patricia?"

"To America?"

Her face was uneasy and her voice even more unsure.

"Yeah, sure. Why not? Your parents wouldn't go for that? I could have my mom…no?" he trailed off as she shook her head, Patricia's eyes growing more panicked. "_Oh_… Is it too much money then, because I will pay for your plane ticket. Just say the word and I'll—"

"No! No…it's not any of that, it's just… Wouldn't that be a bit serious? Me spending the summer on holiday with you, I mean?" Her eyes gridlocked onto his but her right thumbnail—or what was left of it—somehow made it between her teeth just as it always had when she got nervous.

"_It's a holiday, Patricia…not a marriage proposal_," Joy's voice scolded in her head and she rolled her eyes as the embarrassment surfaced on her cheeks.

Eddie felt the relief wash over his entire body, it took all he had in him not to release a huge sigh. He couldn't always play it cool, but when he made a conscience effort to, he always succeeded.

"Hmmm… Not any more serious than living in the same house with me at my father's school. Unless you just don't trust yourself around me…"

Her eyes narrowed as the smug smirk slid into its usual position and she hated the times like these that he made her crack an unwelcomed smile. Patricia noted how his expression didn't quite meet his eyes, but wrote it off as fatigue from his fight. Her hand flicked away from her mouth and she composed herself just as quickly as he had affected her.

"Right. Guess you've got a point _about school_, Weasel."

He nodded in cocky agreement as he reached for his phone to pull up his calendar, "Yeah…'_about school_', Yacker…"

She huffed at his suggestion, "So, when are we leaving? Piper is driving me absolutely _mad_ with that piano."

_The sooner, the better_ Eddie wanted to say, "One smooth move by me and you're in? Wow, you're losing your touch, Yacker…"

"Hardly," she scoffed. "You offered to pay for my flight, right? I'd be _stupid_ not to see what all the American fuss is about."

"Yeah, sure…I'm glad you held me to that," he smiled up at her. "Let me make a few calls and I'll fill you in on the game plan. Just make sure your parents are cool with it and I'll take care of the rest."

"You're on, Krueger."

* * *

"You are late, Son. Have a seat."

Eddie scoffed in the doorway, trading his hesitant steps in for longer strides that brought him to his predetermined placement next to his father. Mr. Sweet dabbed his napkin at the corners of his mouth as his son sat down; neither tried making eye contact with the other. The tension as present as the aroma of the spaghetti bolognese in the air.

"Eddie… I realize you are _perhaps_ a tad angry with me, but you didn't have to try to skip supper. I know how much you—"

"I was talking to Yacker, _not_ avoiding you. But I'm not exactly hungry anyway," he mumbled.

"Right…" Sweet surrendered even as he caught Eddie grabbing for the bread he had left out on the table from the corner of his eyes.

It was a proud moment for Eric to watch his son build a sandwich that to the majority may have been questionable. For all the negatives he saw in Eddie, he also saw a lot of himself…Eddie's food preferences always in the forefront. His first born had no way of knowing that when he threw proper etiquette to the wind he also enjoyed indulging in the occasional spaghetti 'hoagie' as he liked to call it.

It had only taken one bland bite for Eddie to drop his sandwich back to the plate.

Mr. Sweet's fork tapped against his china and pushed his food farther around his plate with each bite before he dropped it as well. The nausea creeping up on him, chasing away his appetite.

"Edison, you cannot possibly believe I would spend time with Benjamin when I was unable to speak with you. I—"

"To be honest with you, I don't really know _what_ to believe anymore. Can we not talk about Benji right now, _please_?"

"But I am imploring you Edison, if you never believe another word I say…know that I would never do that to you. I would never do that to Benjamin. I let both of you down, I-I failed both of you!"

"Dad, I know…let's just drop it, okay?" As if knowing Mr. Sweet wanted to question the change of opinion Eddie continued, "I wasn't _just_ talking to Yacker, I called Mom back… She said that Ben's having a pretty tough time with all of this too."

Eric's voice was fragile, "His mother informed him of the situation?"

Eddie caught his eyes only briefly as he shrugged.

Mr. Sweet nodded, "I suppose she must have… Might I just ask…is it… Would this be, by chance, a year they will be visiting?"

The blond knew exactly what was coming out of that question, "Um, yeah… I guess it probably would be, if they're still on schedule…"

"I see… Well then, perhaps by that time we could all…"

Eddie took a page from Patricia's playbook by cramming a bite into his mouth so he wouldn't have to react immediately to all the _ridiculous_ suggestions his father was throwing out. It was clear he knew nothing about either one of his own children. And with that one simple reminder, the total apathy set in.

"What do you say Edison? _Hmmm_?"

Eddie swallowed hard but still had plenty of sandwich to speak around, "That's gonna be hard to do from the other side of the planet. I'm going back to Mom's for the summer."

"W-What?! But I thought we had decided—"

"Look, I just need some time to get used to this, okay?" He swallowed again, "And Ben and I…if he comes here…we're not exactly best friends anymore…"

"No, I forbid it! I-I simply forbid it! Your plans were to stay with me and that is what you shall do! And what will your mother say when you ask to fly home on such a short notice?"

Eddie brushed the crumbs from his hands and chased his sandwich down with his beverage, "Actually, Mom didn't see the problem. My tickets are already booked…she's expecting me soon."

Mr. Sweet scratched his forehead and the disappointed silence filled the room. Eddie almost felt bad for letting him down. Almost.

"Just think of it this way, Dad. You've had this year with me…now you get to spend some solo time with Benji. I think you'll get along great, he's really…British."

Eric was aware that Eddie's decision had little to do with his father's or brother's well being, but even the fake comfort provided a tiny glimmer of hope that he hadn't completely destroyed their relationship. After a long pause he spoke up.

"I suppose you are correct. And Miss Williamson? You were looking forward to spending time with her this summer. Are you really willing to give that up because of me?"

Eddie stood from the table taking his plate with him. Unfortunately for Eric, his guilt trip read exactly that, "Nope. She's coming with me. Mom's gonna let her stay with us. Thanks for dinner, I need to get packing."

"Wha— Edison, _what_?" he looked back to find Eddie already gone, "Oh dear…"

* * *

**A/N:** _Hi to all the new followers since my last update. Let me know what you think. :)_


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